Sliver
by Rain
Summary: Some things should not be left to fester. GSR


Disclaimer: I wish I owned Grissom, but alas I don't. Neither he nor Sara are mine, but the sliver is. :)

A special thanks to my friend Merlyn for her beta reading abilities and being able to deal with an impatient writer :) smooch

**Sliver**

Empty halls stood silent, only echoes of daily activity lurking in the subdued lighting. Night shift was well underway as labworkers walked from room to room, heads immersed in the latest scientific journals or newest case findings. It seemed that tonight, in a city full of light and life, a moments rest prevailed as an unaccustomed tranquility descended down to the streets.

Tonight was a night for catching up, and, for dread upon dread, paper pushing. Grissom let out an exasperated sigh as he surveyed the mounds of paper collected in haphazard piles around his desk. Tapping his pen against the file in front of him, he blinked several times, trying to clear the fog that was drifting across his eyes. He swore those blasted piles were getting larger by the moment. Maybe it was he, getting smaller, as Alice did when she ate the muffin in Wonderland. Or, maybe I've been sitting here for the past 3 hours and I need a break, Grissom finally decided as he removed his glasses, pinching the bridge of his nose. He lifted his coffee cup to his lips and realized it had not seen warmth in quite some time. Replacing his glasses, he pushed himself up from his chair slowly, a long deserved coffee break in order.

As he walked down the hallway, he noticed the surrounding stillness and wondered if any of his wayward CSI's had returned from their assignments yet. Nick was enjoying a weeks worth of vacation time off skiing with friends in Colorado and wasn't due back for 3 more days. Catherine and Warrick should still be out in the field with a DB. He wasn't certain, but he thought that he had heard Sara return from her B&E about a half an hour ago, although not a word from her directly. Words were a rarity between them these days, mostly limited to monosyllabic murmurs or terse to the point comments about evidence. Grissom wondered if things had deteriorated beyond repair since his refusal of dinner. He often felt as if Sara were slipping from his grasp. It was obvious to more than him that their relationship was now painfully strained. Last week after a particularly intense case, Catherine had approached him to inquire about his standing with Sara. Grissom had replied with some supervisor concerned for the welfare of one of his investigators line that seemed to satisfy her for the time being.

Stepping into the break room, he was met with the pleasant surprise of a fresh pot of coffee brewing. He had just started pouring the dark liquid into his mug when a pained gasp caught his attention. The sound was quickly followed by a string of swearing that would make even the most hardened of sailors blush with embarrassment. A look of puzzlement furled Grissom's brow as he finished pouring and returned the pot. It took him but a moment, then he realized the voice was coming from the lab next door and belonged to one angry sounding Ms. Sidle.

Her back was facing him as he entered the lab, yet it was obvious from her stiffened posture that something was amiss.

"Damn, damn, damn. " Sara swore under her breath.

She had just spent the last half hour processing evidence from her B&E case and was focusing with dismay on the object used to gain entry. A foot long wooden board, jagged from where it was used as leverage in prying a set of French doors open. Intent upon her work, Sara was examining a few strands of black fibers caught on the edge of the board when it slipped in her hand, sending a splinter through her gloves, straight into her sensitive finger. As skilled as she was, even she could not pry the slice out with her left hand, being right handed.

"Damn!"

Grissom cleared his throat uneasily. He wavered in the doorway, would she accept his offer if he went to help her, or would the wall once again come up, isolating her from him? Sara looked up, obviously she had heard him. Quickly she pulled her hand to her body protectively and straightened herself in the chair.

"Um, Grissom, hey, did you need me for anything?" Sara asked, carefully folding her hands together as a method of composure.

"Actually Sara, I was wondering if I could help you with your splinter." Grissom replied, entering the room.

Her face fell momentarily. The last thing she needed was Grissom's confusing help in any situation.

Despite Sara's mumblings of protest, Grissom pulled up a chair facing her. He slide in close, too close for her comfort. His knees brushed up against her inner thighs and she squirmed in her seat. Gently, Grissom clasped her injured hand between his own, probing the splintered area.

" I think I can get this out with a pair of tweezers." He spoke softly, his breath tickling her face as they both leaned in over the now intruding hand. Sara reached for the tweezers she herself had used earlier in vain, brushing Grissom's hand as she gave them to him. She shivered at the connection, a movement not unnoticed by her boss.

"Are you ok?" He asked, his deep blue eyes filled with concern.

Sara fought to regain control of the situation, she quickly removed her hand from his and sat back in the chair.

"Don't worry about it Gris, I'll take care of it when I get home. It's no big deal, really." She replied as nonchalantly as her racing heart would allow.

"Some things should not be left alone Sara, lest they fester and unravel needlessly."

"And which poet said that?"

"Gil Grissom, right here, right now." With a skilled precision used in handling his bugs, , he grasped the elusive sliver of wood, removing it from Sara's flesh. Turning her hand over, he placed a chaste kiss upon her smooth skin.

For what seemed like eternity, time stood still as brown eyes met blue. A moment of understanding seemed to pass between them. Sara gave a small, raising the corners of her mouth. She licked her lips, opening them slightly as if to say something, then closed them just as quickly.

A piercing trill broke their connection, followed quickly by a second dueling sound as both their pagers went off. Grissom pulled back startled and checked his pager.

"Get your kit, and meet me in the parking lot, there's been a double homicide"

With that he rose and went to the door, leaving Sara sitting still looking at her hand.

"Oh and Sara, if it's taken care of, it will heal, I promise."


End file.
